Stigma and psychiatric illness. A survey of attitude of medical students and doctors in Lahore, Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: The stigma attached to mental illness in the West is now well recognised. There is however, only limited information available on this topic from the developing countries. Measurement of stigma among medical students and doctors is straightforward to carry out allowing targeted work to educate doctors in countries with few resources. This study was carried out to assess the attitude of medical students and doctors, attending medical colleges in Lahore, Pakistan.

METHODS: A survey was circulated among the medical students and the doctors of the three medical colleges in Lahore, Pakistan. 294 (59%) of the 500 survey forms sent out were returned.

RESULTS: Just over half of the respondents held negative attitudes towards people with schizophrenia, depression, drug and alcohol disorders. However, most had favourable views of the recovery and treatability of the mental disorders.

CONCLUSIONS: The views held by the medical students and the doctors in Lahore, Pakistan are broadly similar to the opinions expressed by the medical students and doctors in the UK.